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hello stranger midwest adventure
  • arches national park, weekend in Moab

    Weekend In Moab: Best Hiking, Arches, and Food

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  • Arches & Canyonlands National Parks (Epic Utah Road Trip!)

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  • image of sunset from the Needles Overlook near Moab

    11 Best Hiking Trails In Moab, Utah (Arches & Waterfalls!!!)

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  • image of a hiker in canyonlands national park near needles

    13 Best Things to do Moab, Utah (Budget Guide!)

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  • a hiker in the desert of Canyonlands National Park, Utah

    Desert Hiking Guide (How to Pack & Know Before You Go!)

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  • Havasupai 2025 Packing List (Ultralight & Flying In!)

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  • Best Hiking near Las Vegas: Desert Spring Break!

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  • How to Backpack Havasupai in Supai, AZ (Havasu Falls Trail)

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hello stranger // about me

Hi there, and welcome to Hello Stranger. My name is Maddy, and I'm the voice behind the blog. I'm a writer, paddler, photographer, traveller, and freelance editor. I'm committed to exploring the beautiful American Midwest to prove that you can find real adventure anywhere! Toss your email below to keep up with the adventure!

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maddymarq

guide & writer exploring the midwestšŸ•
šŸ“Wisconsin Northwoods
inquiries: hello@madelinemarquardt.com
ā†“ FREE exploring the Midwest eBooks ā†“
Lake Superior summer camera rollšŸŽžļø Things Iā€™ve been up to lately: lots of writing, lots of reading the news for too long then logging off for several days, lots of trying to only read print magazines and articles only, lots of pink drinks and long walks and podcasts, lots of half finished projects, lots of sea kayaking but also not that much, lots of feeling overwhelmed and too busy but simultaneously not knowing what to do with any free time. Lots of little beautiful things and time either outside the whole day or struggling to get outside at all. Photos edited with my new ā€œoutdoor studiesā€ presets! Now live and half off this week only :) šŸ”—in my profile! šŸ“Traditional homelands of the Anishinaabe Nation
Adventure is where you make itšŸ¤·šŸ¼ā€ā™€ļø F Adventure is where you make itšŸ¤·šŸ¼ā€ā™€ļø Footage from a trip with @visit_keweenaw !! Sauna @takkasaunas Hiking & paddling guides for this area can be found on my page :) šŸ“Traditional homelands of the Lake Superior Anishinaabe
AD/ Lake Superior adventure notesā˜€ļøā¤µļø I s AD/ Lake Superior adventure notesā˜€ļøā¤µļø I strongly recommend booking a guided tour for this route with @keweenawadventure ! Lake Superior is cold, the weather patterns can be difficult to read, and waves often kick up with little warning. Itā€™s really important to paddle a sea kayak, or a boat with bulkheads or sealed pockets of air in the front and backā€” this way if you capsize your boat wonā€™t sink out from under you and with deep water self rescue skills, or a guide who can help you, you can get back in and paddle to safety. A sea kayak alone isnā€™t enough! You also need safety gear such as a bilge pump, paddle float, and knowledge of rescues and how to use that safety gear. Check out @visit_keweenaw ā€™s Keweenaw Pasty Trail! 12 pasties, an epic route, and all the glory! Tragically I made it to pasty number four before I had to tap outšŸ¤£ After any hard day on the water or trail honestly nothing feels better than a sauna! @takkasaunas Superior location is right on the Lake and a perfect sunset spot! @visit_keweenaw #michigan #adventure
AD/ solo trip with @visit_keweenaw Hereā€™s what AD/ solo trip with @visit_keweenaw Hereā€™s what Iā€™ve been up toā€¦ 1- paddled the gorgeous 12-mile route to Montreal Falls, which cascades directly into Lake Superior! This route has been on my list since my first summer working as a sea kayaking guide back in 2018.Ā  This is an exposed route on a Great Lake! Deep water self-rescue skills and a kayak with bulkheads is a MUST. Book a guided tour with @keweenawadventure 2- Lots of solo hiking! I love Mt. Baldy, a six-mile route from Eagle Harbor and O Kun-De-Kun Falls! Also recommend the new Cliff View Trail at @mountbohemia and the Berry Picker Trail on Brockway Mountain. Find more trail resources on the @visit_keweenaw website! 3- Last winter I visited @takkasaunas on the Portage Canal, and this week I headed up to their sauna on Lake Superior for a sunset session and WOW!! I got so lucky with the sunset and the feeling of solo swimming in the lake to this!?? Unbeatable (Thanks to sauna guide Megan for being the coolest ever!!)Ā  4- Long walks on the beach :)Ā  The Great Sand Bay in the Keweenaw is one of my favorite places on earth 5- Solo dinner @lake_effect_barandgrill In 2018 after my first year working as a sea kayak guide I did my first ever solo trip up here to the Keweenaw and had my first ever solo meal in a restaurant at this place. Now, seven years later it felt kind of serendipitous to come back and retrace my steps.Ā  6- I ate too many pastiesĀ  My friends at @visit_keweenaw slipped me a brochure for the Keweenaw Pasty Trail and for a brief and shining moment I did consider trying to eat 12 pasties in four days. I didnā€™t make it that far, but my favorites were from Jenā€™s Kitchen in Calumet, Mohawk Superette in Mohawk and Kruppā€™s Mini Mart in Toivola.Ā  7- Did some shopping in Houghton!Ā  @down_wind_sports is one of my favorite outdoor shops/used gear spots, and I was actually on a mission to find new trail runners and ended up at @queencityrunningco_hgt ! From here, I grabbed a Great Lakes shipwreck book from @blackicecomics , new yarn from Sew Irresistible, and some @keweenawcoffee ! 8- Mocktails at the new @smallcraftco in Houghton!Ā  #lakesuperior #keweenaw #solofemaletravel
do I smell like neoprene be honest do I smell like neoprene be honest
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